The French president calls for ‘rethinking relationship with Russia’ after Ukraine war
French President Emmanuel Macron called for a rethinking of relationship with Russia after the war in Ukraine, and called for a new international order, on Sunday in Paris during a meeting for peace organized by the Sant’Egidio community.
“We’ll have to think about a new form of European organization, and rethink our relationship with Russia after the war in Ukraine,” Macron said at the opening of meetings of this Catholic association close to the Vatican.
On relations with Moscow, Emmanuel Macron has been widely criticized for declaring in May 2022, more than three months after Moscow began its invasion of Ukraine, that Russia shouldn’t be humiliated.
After changing his position, the French president came under Western criticism two years later for refusing to rule out sending troops into Ukrainian territory.
“We must be creative enough to think about the peace of tomorrow, peace in Europe in a new way,” he said during the meetings that brought together religious figures, politicians and experts.
He added that it would be necessary to take into account the reconciliation with the Balkans and the reality of Europe in its geographical form, which is neither the European Union in its entirety nor NATO.
Macron also called for building a new international order because the system today is incomplete and unfair because many of the most populous countries didn’t exist when the seats were distributed.
He stressed the need for a system in which one cannot hinder the other, and where countries are properly represented, and therefore fairer bodies, whether the United Nations, the World Bank, or the International Monetary Fund.
The French president, who will attend the UN General Assembly on Tuesday and Wednesday, added, “I’ll raise the issue again this week at the United Nations”.
Emmanuel Macron added, “peace is only possible through coexistence… There should be a place, a land, a state, coexistence, recognition of the existence of everyone, and recognition of the right of everyone to live in peace”.
Macron noted, “this is the key to what is happening now in the Middle East”.
